Scandalous
by Mione3
Summary: Some words on a piece of paper lead to assumptions that could cause an end to Cain & DG's friendship.


_The characters and setting are owned by the Sci-Fi channel and L. Frank Baum_

_Let me know what you think. I live on reviews._

_As always, thank you for reading!_

_**Scandalous**_

"_What_ have you done?" DG shrank back at the harsh tone of Cain's voice and visibly flinched as her eyes caught sight of his clenched fists. His face was red and his blue eyes were icy as they glared unceasingly at her. She had never seen him this angry before and never thought she would be the target of such an intense rage.

"I, I, I, I…" she stuttered. Her back hit the wall, she could retreat no further. Her eyes quickly scanned the room for a way out of this mess. DG's stomach lurched as her eyes were drawn back to his distorted features. Cain was still standing where he had been, making no attempt to pursue her. He looked like a bull ready to charge and she knew if she tried to flee the room he would be on her in seconds.

"I d-d-don't know," she pushed passed her dry lips. It was soft and completely honest. She had returned to her room after a long day of observing the Queen only to find Cain facing her nightstand. She closed the door behind her and was halfway across the room when he turned on her. His face was twisted in anger. It was how many thought he should be after his prolonged incarceration in that tin suit. Maybe he had finally snapped.

"_Don't know?!_" he barked. This was no longer the man that had been her protector on the journey before the eclipse or the months that followed. This man was foreign, new, and not in a good way.

DG paled under his scrutinizing gaze. Wracking her brain, she could find no basis for his outburst or his evident hostility. Sure, she had always been defiant and had an unquenchable curiosity that got her into many sticky situations, but for the past few days she had stayed close to the castle and was relatively tame.

Having at long last convinced her parents that there were necessities from her former life vital to her new role in the O.Z., she was allowed to make a list for a batch of royal guards to fetch. Among these items were her charcoals and sketch pads. Since their return she had spent the majority of her time in the blessed outdoors, sketching to her heart's content and completely disregarding the urge to cause trouble.

The former Tin Man turned suddenly, snatching a piece of paper off the nightstand. When he faced her once more he held up the document as if it offended him in some way. "What then," Cain growled, "does _this_ mean?"

Brows knitting she looked at the paper for a long time. It was the original list she had made that included a number of items she eventually omitted for various reasons. Her confusion only intensified.

Lifting her eyes, DG held him with her puzzled stare. "It's just a list," she said quietly, surprised her voice had not faltered. There was nothing out of the ordinary about any of those belongings, she just found that some things she would do better giving up cold turkey then have them back only to run out again. After all, this place didn't have batteries so what good would her portable CD player be once the batteries died. It wasn't as if her parents would allow the guards to continually take travel storms just to go to a Kansas pharmacy. DG would not have even asked; it would have been too trivial.

Snorting humorlessly, Cain walked forward, slow and steady, paper slightly crumpled in his tight grasp. There was a rigidity to his posture and movement that made her quake in her shoes. He was disarming her with his stare. DG felt her heart hammering in her chest and her need to escape increased tenfold. Something had happened to the fiercely protective man, he was sizing her up, ready to pounce on her weaknesses. He had to know what they were by now, having been her constant shadow for nearly a year.

When he was a foot from her he stopped, standing stock still, cutting off the last possibilities of her escape. Fear began to release in her veins. It was the first time since meeting Cain that she was actually afraid of him.

He thrust the paper forward, holding it out for her to take. "Number eleven," was all he said, growled was more like it, when she didn't remove it from his hand.

Timidly she reached out and plucked the paper from his fingers. Scanning the list her eyes quickly found the item that had him in such a tizzy. DG's eyes widened and shot up to look at Cain, mouth agape and shock easily recognizable in her baby blues.

It was something she had written down that had completely slipped her mind. On the redone list she had omitted it for quite a few significant reasons. First, it would cause too many questions to be asked, or worse, a scandal to brew. Second, it would have been quite embarrassing to ask the guards to retrieve said item. Third, like the CD player it would require regular trips on travel storms to the other side. And lastly, it wasn't as if she was in _desperate_ need of it in the near future, at least from what she could tell.

"I didn't have the guards bring those," she said, her gaze shifting to the windows. It was uncomfortable to look at him. A flush took over her face, making its way up her neck and cheeks to the tips of her ears and hairline. "They weren't on the list I gave them."

This was absurd. She had thought better about it and did the regal thing making sure to keep her reputation intact. Not that she cared, but she knew her family would. Life had been so much easier in Kansas. This was the norm; no one would have questioned her need. Hell, there were medical reasons people had those, which had been the rationale behind her getting them in the first place.

"Is that supposed to make it ok?" he asked. His volume had lowered but it lost none of its potency. "Shit, DG, you're a _princess!_ Its time you start _acting_ like one. You should have been married first." Cain glowered at her, his eyes showing her his agitation at the situation. "What were you thinking?"

Her fear had finally subsided as his words crashed into her like a ton of bricks. It was replaced by anger. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?" DG fumed at Cain. Now he was giving her a talking to for something she never even did. Her face burned with suppressed fury.

"You know full well what I mean," he raged. "It isn't proper to have relations out of wedlock." His voice sounded strangled and his face was just as fiery as the face of the Princess.

"How _dare_ you!" she huffed. "How dare you _assume_ to tell me what's _proper_!" DG's anger had bubbled to the surface and could no longer be stymied. Her chest heaved as her breathing became more and more erratic. Blood boiling and heart pounding in her ears, she could not hear anything except the sound of her own fury. "Not only that but you didn't even bother to _ask_ why I wanted them," she ground out, poking him hard enough in the chest to leave bruises. She was beyond caring.

Cain snorted for the second time. "Like I have to ask what _birth control pills_ are for," he said gravely, a heated sarcasm dripping from his lips. "I may just be a guard, but that doesn't make me stupid."

Placing her hands on her hips she narrowed her eyes and tightened her jaw. "Well, I'm through trying to stop you from embarrassment, so I'll just come straight out and tell you." She had been hoping to get this rectified without resorting to the full truth but it was pointless. He thought of her as a slut. She had been wrong to fall for this man, a man who could think her capable of indiscriminate sex.

"I had problems with my menstrual cycle once I hit puberty so they put me on those pills so I wouldn't have as much pain when my period came around. I've never even had _sex_." DG hoped he felt foolish for his comments. She continued on. "I've been suffering from horrible cramps every month since I've been here but thought it wise not to ask for them because of how it might look to people who don't know me."

The anger in her system made her shake violently. Her vision became misty as her eyes began to well up with tears, but she suppressed it as best she could for the moment. She wasn't done, she had to finish.

"Apparently even people who _do_ know me jump to the wrong conclusion," she waved her arms around frantically, staring daggers at the still man whose face had begun to drain of color. "And here I thought you were my _friend_," she wheezed, her emotions a rollercoaster in her system. An overwhelming sadness began to seep into her being.

"Some friend you are," she grunted somberly, "thinking I'm a slut." DG wanted him to feel as bad as she did; he had started it in the first place. When he lowered his gaze from hers she knew she had hit the nail on the head. Now he would pay.

She had been in love with him from the start, the moment he had agreed to lead her and Glitch through the fields of the papay. DG never acted on it, living vicariously through her dreams. She had been afraid of ruining their friendship and now it was ruined for a completely different reason. DG never understood why people used the saying, _sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me_. In her experience words caused the most lasting damage. Bones will heal given time; she doubted she would ever get over his comments.

"Bet you're only mad because you thought I screwed every man in the castle _except you_," she taunted him as she brushed past making sure not to come in contact with any part of his body. DG was too irate and too fixated on making him feel the fool.

"Well, here's your chance," she said, as she made it to the bed and turned around to face his back. He whipped around faster than a bullet at her words. Face slackened and sickly white with his mouth hanging open.

"Come on," she teased as she plopped down on the mattress and began unbuttoning her blouse. "Here's your chance to bed the Princess," she added, noting there was no emotion evident in her voice. DG was not embarrassed anymore; this was payback, pure and simple. And if it required her to lose certain articles of clothing to cause the Tin Man the same amount of pain he had inflicted upon her, then so be it.

As she shrugged her blouse off her shoulders she saw Cain blush vivid red and twist around to make a hasty exit. "Oh, no you don't," and with a flick of her wrist the door and windows vanished making it both impossible for the man to leave and anybody within ear shot to hear what was taking place.

"You think I'm a slut, so come here and take me," she said with another flick of her wrist. Cain began sliding toward her, desperately clawing at anything to keep himself stationary to no avail.

"Stop this, DG," he begged, perspiration was visible on his face and neck. Cain only stopped gliding once his hips were cradled between her knees. His eyes were fixed on the wall behind her and his breath was short and edgy. "Please, stop," he whispered as she grabbed his hands with her own and attempted to pull them forward. They wouldn't budge. "Please."

Dropping his hands, DG scooted back on the bed snatching up her blouse in the process. She turned away from him and replaced the fabric to its rightful location. She had gone far enough; perhaps too far.

She was tired, so very tired, both physically and emotionally. It had not been how she expected this day to end, with her friendship with Cain being destroyed.

Wrapping her arms around her body she slid down fully on the bed and curled up into a tight ball. Breathing long and slow, DG felt the tears prickle at the corners of her eyes and was powerless to stop them from falling. Slowly the pillow became damp from the unwanted moisture.

"I'm sorry," she heard Cain say from behind her. His voice was back to its usual timbre but that did nothing to stop her from crying. "I'm sorry for assuming…" he paused suddenly, this time unable to vocalize the assumption he had made.

"Why?" she sobbed quietly. "Why would you think I would be that easy?" DG was shaking again. Cold had leached into every part of her body. Cain had thought she was promiscuous. If he could think such a thing she dreaded what others thought of her.

"I saw that list and I," she could hear him swallow. "I thought the worst and I got angry."

DG wiped at her wet cheeks. "I don't understand," she moaned. "You follow me everywhere. You should know that I couldn't do that without you knowing."

A hand on her arm turned her around to face him. Cain was sitting on the bed, his hand stayed on her shoulder rubbing circles over the cloth with his thumb. She refused to make eye contact, keeping her eyes trained on the windowless wall ahead. The tears still dripped, soaking another part of the pillow.

"Does that mean you want to?" he asked haltingly.

DG tensed and the tears abruptly stopped flowing. He was still at it, making her feel inferior and immoral. "No!" she bellowed looking up at him. Then rethinking her response shouted softer, "Yes!" Rethinking it again, "Eventually, of course. I _am_ human."

Sighing she looked away. "My parents, the mechanical ones, brought me up right. Telling me to wait for marriage, wait for the love of my life." She sighed again and clasped her hands together in front of her stomach. "I guess it stuck." DG honestly didn't know why she was explaining herself; she just felt it was necessary.

She sat up and scurried back so that she rested on the headboard of the bed. This caused Cain's hand to drop from her shoulder to the outside of her thigh. He didn't remove it. Staring at the hand on her leg, her stomach flipped when his thumb began rubbing circles again.

"I'm glad," he responded.

Getting mad again, she scrunched up her brow as she scrutinized his face. "Why?" she asked. "You just don't want to be blamed for allowing the Princess to get put in the family way, right?" The two words had stung, though she couldn't put her finger on a reason.

"No," he said calmly and she hated him for being able to remain that way given her harsh words. "I just don't want to see you get your heart broken."

"Then you better look the other way," she muttered before she could stop herself. DG's face was stricken at the implications of her own words. Closing her eyes she silently prayed that Cain wouldn't figure it out if he heard.

"What does _that_ mean?" he asked softly. "Has your heart been broken?"

Cain had heard. He was questioning her. It was more than awkward given the fact that he was the one breaking her heart. Continuing to stare at her lap, DG blatantly ignored his inquiries.

"Listen," he began, "I'm sorry, so _very sorry_ for what I said." There was an edge to his tone that made her believe he was being totally honest. "I never meant to hurt you, you _have_ to believe that." This part wasn't so easily accepted. Still she said nothing in response, gazing unceasingly at her lap. "The fact of the matter is I was hurt when I saw that list and anger was the only way I could cover it up."

Finally she looked up from her lap to his face. "Why would birth control pills hurt _you_?" she questioned him. "Unless of course you felt like you had neglected your duty. Because that's all I am to you, right? A duty?" she seethed; anger getting the better of her again.

DG watched a nerve twitch in Cain's neck as he processed her words. He studied her features and continued his thumbs exploration of her skirt clad thigh. He was unnerving her again. Slowly the anger passed.

"You aren't a duty to me," he told her with more care in his voice than she expected. "You've never been a duty to me." Her heart flittered at the comment; sure she had misheard or misinterpreted his insinuation.

"I was hurt because I thought you found someone, fell in love with someone. I never thought you were a slut or that you had been with every man in the palace…" he trailed off for a few seconds, his eyes darting wildly around the room. She thought about saying something but words failed her. DG needed to wait to be sure this wasn't some terrible mistake.

"I thought you had been with just one man, though I didn't know who. That frightened me and not because of the way you think." This time he paused for so long that the space between them became thick and heavy with the words left unsaid. The silence was palpable and DG could take it no longer.

"Why did it frighten you?" she pressed.

His eyes flitted back and held hers, showing tenderness and compassion within the blue depths. "I thought I had lost you," Cain started. While it was evident that this was uncomfortable for him his gaze and his voice never faltered. "I thought I had missed my chance."

DG swallowed the lump in her throat and scrunched her eyes closed at his proclamation. It was totally unexpected and swelled her hope to alarming proportions. At the present moment, if this ended up being a misunderstanding she thought she would surely die.

"Missed what chance?" she urged again, opening her eyes once more.

Cain was still staring at her. His hand moved from her thigh to her hip and the other took up the same perch on the opposite side. Pulling her close, his lips gave his answer without ever saying a word as they pressed down upon her own. Willingly she kissed back, opening her mouth beneath his and begging him to deepen the intimate touch.

Heated and breathless they pulled away from one another after many moments, leaning foreheads together and holding the other close. Cain brushed her hair off her face and tucked it behind her ear with the gentlest touch of his fingers.

"Tell me I haven't lost you," he begged as he twirled a piece of her hair around his finger.

"I'm still here, aren't I?" she teased in response.

"Good," he said. Cain smirked suddenly and she leaned back to get a better view. "I thought you hated pink."

Looking down at her clothing, she was wearing a black blouse with a dark green skirt…no pink. DG felt her face flush as she remembered the pink bra she was wearing. "Oh, erm…" she was having trouble with words again. "Right, I, well, undergarments are a different story." Her heart was beating rapidly. She decided to do some more kidding. "Besides, from what I hear a guy likes to see his lady _in the pink_."

She watched as Cain's smirk turned into a full blown smile. "I don't know about all guys, but this one sure does like it." When he captured her mouth with his once again she knew she would be wearing the dreaded color more often.

DG smiled into his kiss. Perhaps Cain could accompany her some time in the future on a trip to the other side for the scandalous item.


End file.
